The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 228

Xu Wan turned her gaze to the little troublemaker, intending to use the mischievous boy as an excuse to decline the request. To her surprise, the little rascal didn’t pick up on the subtle hints in her perfectly polite smile. Instead, he added, “Yeah, Shen Yibai wants to join the Four Little Rascals. I agreed to it.”

Xu Wan: “You agreed to it??”

Wait, so Shen Yibai actively applied to join the group???

No wonder there was a backup candidate—he volunteered himself.

The little troublemaker nodded. “Of course I agreed. Shen Yibai is way better than Zhai Yao.”

Xu Wan: “…”

Honestly, anyone compared to Zhai Yao would meet the requirements.

Xu Wan couldn’t find a good reason to refuse, especially since Madam Shen had already prepared all the necessary items for her son’s education, including clothes and luggage. She even said something strikingly similar to what Madam He had once said:

“Sister, I leave this child in your hands. Scold him if you must, punish him if needed. Don’t worry, I absolutely will not interfere.”

Xu Wan: “…………”

This wasn’t a good sign.

But Madam Shen was, after all, a close friend of the Crown Princess and had introduced Xu Wan to many influential friends in the capital. Her enthusiasm was hard to reject without causing offense.

Xu Wan sighed and said, “I’ll do my best to guide Yibai, but the time is short. I can’t guarantee he’ll achieve outstanding results in this round of exams.”

Madam Shen was overjoyed. “That’s fine, that’s fine! As long as you agree, that’s enough. Our family is much more open-minded than Minister He’s family. We don’t pressure our children to achieve top scores. As long as he learns to be reasonable and becomes a useful person to the court, that’s enough. The way he’s been running around causing trouble lately, my father-in-law is practically at his wit’s end.”

The current Prime Minister was about to retire, and all the department heads were on edge, afraid that even the slightest mistake would cost them a chance at promotion. Minister Shen of the Ministry of Rites was no exception.

Xu Wan and Madam Shen chatted happily for a while. Meanwhile, Shen Yibai, sensing trouble, tried to make a run for it. But Madam Shen had anticipated this and assigned a guard to keep him in check. The guard firmly held the boy’s shoulder, rendering him completely immobile.

Shen Yibai could only spin in place, howling, “Ahhh! I don’t want to study! I don’t want to! Jincheng, I want out! I don’t want to be part of the Four Little Rascals anymore!”

The little rascal struggled like a cannonball under the guard’s grip, but his efforts were futile and almost comical. Zong Jincheng was the first to burst out laughing.

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“Hahahaha! I told you being part of the Four Little Rascals wasn’t a good thing, but you insisted on joining. Now you regret it? Too late! Come on, join us in studying!”

The guard escorted him inside, while Zong Jincheng swaggered ahead, thoroughly enjoying himself. He finally understood how satisfying it must have been for his mother when she forced him to study. Watching Shen Yibai struggle was like watching a monkey perform tricks.

After seeing Madam Shen off, Xu Wan headed to the study. Along the way, she contemplated hiring a new tutor for Shen Yibai. However, they were short on staff and needed to recruit someone. She decided to ask the three current tutors if they could recommend anyone, given that they were all former classmates.

As she was thinking about who should train the new tutor, she suddenly heard Shen Yibai shouting from inside the room, “You wicked woman! Let me go! I don’t want to stay here!”

Xu Wan paused.

The scene felt all too familiar. The words were almost identical to what Zong Jincheng had once said. Truly, they were brothers in mischief.

But the thought of having to teach another troublemaker like this exhausted her. She finally understood how teachers felt, having to start from scratch with each new batch of students. It was mentally draining.

Xu Wan took a deep breath at the door, intending to compose herself before entering. But Zong Jincheng beat her to it, giving Shen Yibai a light kick and scolding, “How dare you talk to my mother like that! Do you want a beating? Say it again, properly this time.”

Although Zong Jincheng had once been just as rude to Xu Wan, he now considered himself her number one supporter and wouldn’t tolerate anyone disrespecting her.

Zong Wenxiu and He Zheng were stunned: Their brother/leader was so authoritative!

Zong Jincheng’s intimidation was no joke. The normally brash Shen Yibai immediately backed down. “I’m sorry, Auntie. I was rude. But please, let me go. I don’t want to stay here.”

Xu Wan blinked, quietly impressed by Zong Jincheng’s commanding presence.

Truly, you are the leader of the Four Little Rascals.

But with Zong Jincheng standing up for her, Xu Wan felt a warm glow, like drinking a cup of hot tea on a winter’s day, spreading warmth from her throat to her chest and then to every limb.

She smiled and walked in. “Yibai, your mother has already left. Settle in here. Look, He Zheng and Jincheng are here too. They’ve gradually gotten used to studying.”

“I don’t…” Shen Yibai’s face turned red with frustration, and he instinctively retorted. But when Zong Jincheng shot him another warning glance, he quickly corrected himself. “I don’t want to study. My mother dragged me here. Auntie, please, just let me go quietly. I promise I won’t tell anyone it was you. I’ll say I climbed over the wall and ran away.”

Xu Wan chuckled. “But where would you go if you left? When you return to the Minister’s residence, your mother will just send you back here.”

Shen Yibai: “…”

The little rascal was furious. He snapped, “Then I won’t go home! I’ll live on the streets! I’ll stay outside! If they force me to do things I don’t want to do, I’ll make them feel the pain of losing me!”

Zong Jincheng grinned, watching the drama unfold with a mix of amusement and disbelief. His friend, who had seemed perfectly normal a year ago, now seemed so immature.

Xu Wan didn’t argue. Instead, she played along. “But where will you stay when you’re on the streets? How will you eat?”

Shen Yibai replied, “I’ll stay at inns and eat at restaurants, of course. I can’t cook.”

Xu Wan nodded, eyeing him up and down. “But your mother has taken all your valuables. Even if you sell your clothes, how long will that last you?”

Shen ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‍Yibai’s face turned red. “I… I… I have so many friends! Jincheng will definitely lend me money!”

Zong Jincheng quickly raised his hands in surrender. “Mom, I swear, my savings aren’t that much. With his spending habits—staying at inns and eating out—I can’t support him until he’s an adult.”

This was Shen Yibai, not the frugal Lin Yu siblings. His expenses were too high to sustain.

Shen Yibai: “!!!”

Bro, is our friendship really that fragile?!

He then turned to He Zheng, who promptly showed off his empty money pouch, cleaner than his face.

“…”

Why even bother carrying it around then?!

Shen Yibai’s face flushed with embarrassment. “Fine, don’t lend me anything. I’ll just live on the streets. I’ll sleep outside. I’d rather freeze or starve than study!”

Xu Wan shook her head, amused. She suggested, “Here’s an idea, child. Learn a skill. That way, even if you run away from home, you can support yourself and avoid freezing or starving.”

Shen Yibai’s eyes lit up, completely unsuspecting. “What is it? What is it? Auntie, tell me! Once I learn it, I’ll be forever grateful to you!”

Xu Wan smiled at him and said to the Zong brothers, “Tell him Lin Yu’s story. I need to speak with the tutors.”

“Got it. We’ll handle it,” Zong Wenxiu replied.